Mapping policy and co-operate initiative landscapes for systemic change towards a nature-positive economy (Deliverable 1.3).

Nature underpins our economies, societies, and well-being and is a powerful and cost-effective tool in the fight against climate change. Yet it is deteriorating at an alarming rate, threatening over half of global gross domestic product, jeopardising our resilience to climate change, and increasing societal risks, such as food insecurity in Europe and beyond. Transitioning to a nature-positive economy represents a strategic and necessary response: one that goes beyond merely reducing harm and negative impacts, to increasing positive contributions to nature through the active restoration and regeneration of ecosystems, not least through nature-based solutions. Society and the economy stand to gain from this approach, with research showing significant potential for job creation and innovation arising from investment in nature-positive economic activities. Reaching these ambitions requires transformative change across society and collective action by businesses, governments, and citizens across all scales to align economic activity with equity and ecological health. Only by embedding nature into the core of policy and decision-making frameworks as well as into business practices can we decouple economic development from environmental degradation and create a sustainable economic pathway for future generations.

This report, developed within the EU-funded GoNaturePositive! research and innovation project, provides a baseline assessment to inform and support the transition to a nature positive economy. It presents a structured mapping of key overarching and sectoral EU policy instruments, including a classification and an evaluation of their alignment with principles of the nature positive economy, as well as a presentation of co-operative initiatives that can accelerate systemic transformation in business. The report and five accompanying dedicated sectoral briefs (included as an Annex) offer insights to guide policymakers, businesses, and stakeholders in embedding nature-positive strategies in the agriculture-food, blue economy, forestry, built environment, and tourism sectors. Additionally, it will shape forthcoming project activities, such as mapping nature positive economy priorities, tackling policy roadblocks by utilising identified windows of opportunity, and supporting industry-specific actions across the project’s pilot sites. 

To understand how public policy and actions by private and non-governmental actors can support or hinder the transition to a nature positive economy, we conducted a two-tiered assessment. In the first tier, we evaluate EU and global policy frameworks, focusing on five GoNaturePositive! priority sectors - agriculture, the blue economy, forestry, the built environment, and tourism - alongside three cross-sectoral areas (environment, climate, and economic development). Over 60 EU and global instruments were initially identified and screened, with 20 core instruments selected for in-depth analysis, based on their strategic relevance and potential to contribute to nature-positive outcomes. The design and content of each core instrument was evaluated against key dimensions of a nature positive economy - including reducing harmful activities, creating additional nature, increasing knowledge, and supporting transformative change - culminating in a synthesis of findings to inform future policy development. In addition, noting rapidly evolving policy landscapes, the analysis also takes account of more recent, post-analysis policy developments such as the European Competitiveness Compass and Omnibus simplification package as well as the resumed session of the Convention on Biological Diversity that took place in February 2025.

In parallel, to understand the impact of private and non-governmental actors in driving a nature positive economy, the second tier of our assessment explores twenty co-operative initiatives. These can be understood as co-operative approaches between private actors, NGOs, and/or academic institutions, also including public institutions. Acting as case studies, these initiatives have been selected to capture a broad coverage of thematic topics, structures, and approaches, as well as for their reach (e.g., in terms of the number, size, and influence of signatories) and alignment with advancing the transition to a nature positive economy.